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The Catholic Church's position on celibacy is derived from the Council of Trent, which stated that celibacy and virginity are superior to marriage. The Church's stance on celibacy has evolved over the centuries, with the first written mandate requiring priests to be chaste appearing in AD 304. In the Latin Church, only unmarried men are ordained as priests, and clerical marriage is forbidden. However, there are exceptions, and some married Protestant ministers have been ordained as Catholic priests. The Eastern Catholic Church still has married priests, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church allows deacons to marry after ordination, but not priests. The requirement of celibacy is not considered dogma but rather an ecclesiastical law that can be changed at any time by the Pope.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of implementation | By the mid-fourth century, marriage after ordination was prohibited. In 1139, the Second Lateran Council made celibacy mandatory for future priests in the Western Church. |
| Exceptions | Exceptions are sometimes admitted for ordination to transitional diaconate and priesthood on a case-by-case basis for married clergymen of other churches or communities who become Catholics. Exceptions are also made for married Anglican ministers who join the Catholic Church and become priests. |
| Reasoning | To distinguish the clergy as a special group, separate from the "sinful world". To prevent priests' money and possessions from being inherited by their wives and children, and instead going to the Church. To prevent the creation of priestly dynasties. |
| Modern developments | In February 2024, Belgian Bishops requested optional celibacy. Exceptions to the rule of celibacy for priests of the Latin Church are sometimes granted by the Pope when married Protestant clergy become Catholic. |
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What You'll Learn
The Council of Elvira in 303
The Council of Elvira, also referred to as the Synod of Elvira, was an ecclesiastical synod held in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain. The exact date of the council is not known but is believed to have been held in the first quarter of the fourth century, approximately between 300 and 306 CE. It was one of the first councils, along with the Synod of Arles (314) and the Synod of Ancyra, that laid the groundwork for general councils and paved the way for the first ecumenical council.
Nineteen bishops and twenty-four to twenty-six presbyters, mostly from Hispania Baetica, attended the council, along with deacons and laymen. Eighty-one canons were recorded, all pertaining to order, discipline, and conduct within the Christian community. The canons reflected the internal workings and external relations of the Spanish Church in the 4th century. The canons were stringent and imposed strict discipline for various transgressions. For instance, reconciliation with the church was prohibited for certain sins, such as idolatry, repeated adultery, divorce, and incest.
Canon 36, which forbade the use of images in churches, became a contentious issue between Catholic and Protestant scholars after the Protestant Reformation. Other canons prohibited marriage and intercourse with Jews, pagans, and heretics, and banned Christians from participating in pagan festivals and public games. The council also addressed the institution of nuns (virgines Deo sacratae) in Spain.
The Council of Elvira was significant as it was the first council held in Spain, and its canons provide valuable insights into the early Christian church in the region. While the council did not directly address clerical celibacy, its focus on discipline and conduct set a precedent for subsequent discussions and decisions regarding celibacy in the Catholic Church.
It is worth noting that the implementation of clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church occurred over a prolonged period, with various synods and councils shaping the discipline. While the Council of Elvira did not explicitly mandate celibacy for the clergy, its focus on discipline and conduct set a precedent for subsequent discussions and decisions regarding celibacy in the Catholic Church.
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The Second Lateran Council in 1139
The Second Lateran Council, the tenth ecumenical council, took place in April 1139. It was convoked by Pope Innocent II to address several issues within the Catholic Church.
The council was summoned to address the schism caused by the election of Anacletus II, a rival pope, and to condemn the followers of Arnold of Brescia, a reformer and opponent of the pope's temporal power. Innocent II, supported by St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Emperor Lothar II, was eventually recognised as the legitimate pope.
The council also aimed to restore ecclesiastical discipline and condemn heresies. They drew on canons established by previous councils, including those of Pope Gregory VII, Urban II, Callistus II, and Innocent II himself. The Second Lateran Council enacted measures to reform the church, address errors, and promote the amendment of ecclesiastical morals and discipline.
One significant aspect of the council's decrees was its stance on celibacy within the clergy. They declared invalid the marriages of those in major orders, including professed monks, canons, lay brothers, and nuns. This decree reinforced the Church's commitment to clerical celibacy and reflected its belief in the superiority of celibacy and virginity over marriage.
The council also promulgated canons related to ecclesiastical property and the behaviour of the clergy. For example, Canon 25 stipulated that no one should accept a benefice from a layman, and Canon 16 stated that those in the orders of subdeacon and above who married would be deprived of their positions. Additionally, Canon 27 prohibited nuns from singing the Divine Office in the same choir as monks or canons, emphasising the separation between the sexes in ecclesiastical matters.
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The Church's stance on inheritance
The Catholic Church introduced clerical celibacy in the Middle Ages to prevent priests' children from inheriting Church property and creating dynasties. The Church feared that clerics with families would be loyal to their families first, bound up in worldly socio-political networks and relationships. This would result in clerics' sons inheriting Church positions from their fathers, which was standard in the Middle Ages for all professions. The Church also wanted to maintain its independence and spiritual dimension.
In modern times, the percentage of Catholics who include the Church in their wills is around 6%, with a likely lower percentage leaving money to charities aimed at the poor and disadvantaged. This is attributed to poor communication by parishes and a lack of infrastructure for planned giving in many charities. However, generational dynamics may also play a role, as baby boomers give significantly less of their income than their parents, which correlates with their lower level of church engagement.
While the Church's official stance on inheritance is not explicitly stated, its introduction of clerical celibacy and the historical context surrounding it indicate a desire to prevent priests' children from inheriting Church property and to maintain the independence and spiritual nature of the Church.
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The Church's stance on celibacy today
The Roman Catholic Church considers clerical celibacy to be a discipline rather than a doctrine. This means that it is an ecclesiastical law that can be changed at any time by the Pope. However, both Pope Benedict XVI and previous popes have stated that the practice is unlikely to change.
In the Catholic Church, clerical celibacy is mandated for all clergy in the Latin Church, except in the permanent diaconate. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the same rules are followed as in the Latin Church, or celibacy is required for bishops while married men are allowed to be ordained as priests. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy, celibacy is the norm for bishops, and married men may be ordained as priests but are not allowed to remarry if their wives die.
Exceptions to the rule of celibacy for priests of the Latin Church are sometimes granted by the Pope when married Protestant clergy convert to Catholicism. For example, in 1951 Pope Pius XII ordained a married Lutheran pastor as a Catholic priest in Germany, and in 1983, married Anglican/Episcopal pastors were ordained as Catholic priests in the US, Canada, and England. In the Latin (Western) Catholic Church, mature married men who do not intend to become priests may be ordained as deacons, but they are not allowed to marry after ordination.
In February 2019, the Vatican acknowledged that the policy has not always been adhered to and that rules had been secretly established to handle clergy who violated their vows of celibacy. Some clergy have been allowed to retain their clerical status after violating their vows of celibacy, and even after secretly marrying women.
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Exceptions to the rule
In the Latin (Western) Catholic Church, since the Second Vatican Council, mature married men who do not intend to advance to the priesthood may be ordained as deacons and are referred to as "permanent deacons". However, married men may not be ordained as priests, bishops, or even as "transitional deacons", nor may anyone marry after ordination.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy, celibacy is the norm for bishops; married men may be ordained to the priesthood, but even if their wives pre-decease them, they are not allowed to remarry. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church allows deacons to marry after ordination, but not priests.
In the Eastern Catholic Church, there are married priests. Since Vatican II's call for the restoration of Eastern Catholic traditions, a number of bishops have returned to the traditional practice of ordaining married men to the presbyterate. Bishops are still celibate and normally chosen from the ranks of ordained monks.
In the Latin Church, exceptions are sometimes made. After the Second Vatican Council, a general exception was made for the ordination of deacons of men of at least thirty-five years of age who are not intended to be ordained later as priests and whose wives consent to their ordination.
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Frequently asked questions
The Roman Catholic Church's position today is derived from the Council of Trent, which stated that celibacy and virginity are superior to marriage. However, the first written mandate requiring priests to be chaste came in AD 304.
There are several reasons why the Catholic Church adopted celibacy. One reason is that it distinguished the clergy as a special group, separate from the "sinful world". Another reason is that it helped the Church maintain its independence and spiritual authority over temporal rulers. Additionally, it may have been a way to prevent the inheritance of church property by clerics' children, thus ensuring that the property remained within the Church.
Yes, there are some exceptions to the rule of celibacy in the Catholic Church. Anglican ministers who were already married when they joined the Catholic Church are allowed to remain married if they choose to join the priesthood. In recent years, the Church has also allowed some married Protestant ministers to be ordained as Catholic priests.
Yes, if a Catholic cleric leaves the Church, they are no longer bound by the rule of celibacy and can get married.
No, Catholic clergy cannot be secretly married. Marriage is considered a regulation rather than dogma, and the Church takes violations of celibacy seriously. However, there have been reports of clergy violating their vows of celibacy and the Church working to protect them and any children they may have fathered.
